New Xbox Live Interface is Live | SPIKE

Microsoft has launched a new interface for everybody that has an Xbox with internet access.  It’s going to happen. There’s no avoiding it.  So, if you’re online, we’ve got a few things you should know about what’s getting put in your box. The new Xbox Live is going live and has been saddled with the not-so-subtlety sexual acronym NXE. Is it sexxxy? Is it xxxtreme? Hit the jump to find out.

The Look

The entire navigation layout has been changed.  Gone are the slide-in sidebars (dubbed “blades”), and the new interface is a great deal more navigable.  It’s cleaner, it’s more intuitive, and it’s made up of mostly large images and icons that are instant and effective visual cues.  This is definitely a huge step in a positive direction.

Netflix

Now you can get yourself some Netflix.  Tired of slaying aliens and mutants?  Turn off Gears of War 2 and take a break while you watch aliens and mutants kill each other in Alien vs. Predator.  Never leave your recliner ever again. 

Avatars

Stolen from the Wii because Microsoft’s dad could kick Nintendo’s dad’s ass any day, the Xbox avatars look just like Miis, but maybe a little more svelte and with a better sense of fashion.  Other than that, they’re just avatars.  However, they are useful for the last feature you need to know about.   

Parties

Hayyyy, we havin’ a partaaaay.  The most convenient individual feature of the new NXE is the party feature.  It allows you to make a gaming gang.  This is exactly as nerdy as it sounds.  You hook yourself up to a group of your friends and then you all travel together from match to match and even from game to game.  Go from Halo multiplayer to a Need for Speed race with a  few taps on the controller.  You should probably make a flag or shirts for your gang, too, but there are no templates included in the firmware for that. 

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